ST. CHARLES – The long-awaited resurfacing of the St. Charles North High School stadium playing field will start this spring and be finished in time for football this fall.
The surface will be a non-rubber synthetic that will be safer and more durable than the current natural turf, district officials said.
“We're very happy to be doing this after a long time. We've known that the North field needs to be improved,” said school board President Kathy Hewell.
The total estimated cost for the project is $1.25 million, including 10 years of field maintenance and future surface replacement. The District 303 School Board on Feb. 13 authorized architectural work for the project by Rettler Corporation.
A contributor to the project is the St. Charles North Athletic Booster Club, which will donate $200,000 toward replacing the field surface when it reaches its usable life in 10 to 13 years. Under an agreement with the district that the school board approved Feb. 13, the club will deposit $50,000 in an interest-bearing account in January 2018 and $15,000 annually thereafter until reaching the full amount of $200,000.
Hewell thanked the Boosters for partnering with the district.
“It's a good thing for the district and the community,” she said.
Hewell said the partnership provided a foundation for how the district could build other new playing fields in the future.
In turn, Booster Club President Tom Mullally thanked the school board for pursuing the project, which the club strongly has promoted during the past few years.
“It's been a long journey for us. [The new field] is going to open up so many opportunities for the students at North,” Mullally said.
North athletes are not the only students who will benefit from having a better playing field. It also will be a boon for the school marching band, which has had to practice in the driver education parking lot because of the poor condition of the existing field.
“[The new synthetic turf] will allow full use of the field for the band,” said Andy Rollins of the St. Charles Friends of Music.
During field construction while school is in session, North athletic practices and events will take place at other district schools as needed.
“The objective is to minimize the impact on sports programs as much as possible,” Superintendent Donald Schlomann said.
Board approves bid for Wredling, Norris work
Also on Feb. 13, the school board approved a bid for additions and alterations at Wredling Middle School and Norris Recreation Center of $3.95 million from The George Sollitt Construction Company, based out of Wood Dale. The board decided last fall to pursue the work, including expanding the Wredling cafeteria, improving the school's science labs, and installing an addition and various building improvements at Norris. The district plans to complete the projects this summer.